The wheat penny, also called the wheat cent, is one of the most popular coins to collect. You’ve probably found a few of them in your pocket before. Many people are fond of collecting these. If in good condition, these rare wheat pennies can be worth a lot. To get the most money, you’ll want to sell coins that haven’t been in circulation for a long time because they’ll be worth more.

Top ten rare wheat pennies

1909-S VDB

One of the most sought-after rare wheat pennies from the modern era is the 1909-S VDB. There were about 484,000 of these coins made. Even in the worst condition, a 1909-S VDB wheat penny can easily be sold for $700. VDB stands for Victor David Brenner; you can find them on the back, in the middle, below the wheat stalks.

Over Horizontal S 1909-S

The 1909-s with the “S” on the side is a mistake called an RPM, which stands for “Repunched Mint Mark.” The first S was punched into the die in the wrong direction, so a second S was added to fix it. Before 1990, all mint marks were punched by hand into the dies.

1922-D No D

The 1922 D No D Lincoln Wheat Cent is the only one in the whole series that doesn’t have the mint mark it should have. At the time, only the Denver Mint made pennies, which should have had the “D” mint mark on them. But because the mint was under so much pressure to make all the coins, they made a few mistakes, and a bunch of wheat pennies didn’t get their mint mark.

1909-S

The 1909-S wheat penny is very popular with collectors and can bring at least $80. A semi-key date is the 1909 S. Lincoln Wheat Penny. Still, it’s desirable in all grades, though it’s not as popular as the 1909-S VDB. There were 1,825,000 of these coins made, so it is pretty rare.

1917 Doubled Die Obverse

One of the most valuable doubled die errors is the 1917 Doubled Die Obverse DDO Lincoln Wheat Cent (Penny). On the front, look for a strong doubling in the word “TRUST” and the date. Since the doubling is so small, it’s best to use a magnifying glass.

1931-S

The year 1931 was a hard one for making Lincoln cents in San Francisco. Only 866,000 Lincoln cents were made at the San Francisco mint that year, making them what many collectors would later consider “key” Lincoln cents that were very important and would cost a lot of money. The lowest collector grades of 1931-S Lincoln cents sell for at least $80.

1914-D

Another important date in the series is the 1914-D Lincoln Wheat penny, the most valuable non-erroneous rare wheat penny. With only 1,193,000 made, it is one of the Wheat Cents with one of the lowest mintages. Because they are so rare, these coins can be hard to find, as they have never been used. But be careful because many make such fake coins.

1944-D Over S

The S mintmark was put on working dies by punching the letter “S” into the steel of the die after it had been softened. In this case, a worker at the mint, first put an “S” into the die. He tried to get rid of the “S” and then punched a “D” over it to fix his mistake. The old S mintmark is still there, and you can see it at the top of the D. To see this range, you will need a strong magnifying glass.

Steel Cent from 1944

The 1944 Steel Wheat cent was made by accident. People think that either steel blanks from the year before were left behind and struck by accident, or steel blanks from foreign coins that the mint was making got mixed up with the copper blanks. Only 25-30 of these coins are believed to exist, making them rare and the most valuable wheat pennies.

Bronze Cent from 1943

The 1943 Bronze Wheat Cent is the last coin on our list. It is one of the most valuable wheat pennies in the country. During this time, copper was needed to make ammunition for the war, so the mint stopped making copper cents and started making steel cents for the first and last time. But a few copper planchets were left behind and were accidentally made with dies from 1943.

The value of a coin is based on how rare it is, and how it looks when it is found and sold. Even if you have the rarest coin, it loses a lot of value if it gets scratched, dirty, or destroyed because of carelessness. Make sure you know how to handle your coins to keep their value. If you’re a rare wheat pennies collector, ensure you’re doing it because you love it, not because you want to make money quickly. Taking care of your coins is also essential if you want to collect them.